A store employee offered one account of what started the confrontation, but police have not publicly confirmed a motive.
NEW YORK — Police were working Monday to determine what triggered an argument inside a Chelsea adult store that escalated into a fatal confrontation on Eighth Avenue, leaving a 60-year-old man dead and a 25-year-old suspect facing murder and robbery charges.
The dispute began around 9 p.m. Sunday inside Rainbow Station at 203 Eighth Ave., according to police. Investigators said the two men argued before the confrontation moved outside and became physical. The victim was knocked to the ground and repeatedly attacked, police said. Emergency medical workers transported him to Bellevue Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Authorities identified the suspect as Imani McColley of Queens. Police said McColley fled after the confrontation and later returned to the area, where officers took him into custody. He was charged with murder and two counts of robbery after investigators alleged that the victim’s wallet was taken during the incident.
What caused the initial argument remained less clear. Police had not publicly disclosed a motive as of Monday. An employee told WABC that McColley became angry after being denied access to a basement club inside the business, but authorities had not confirmed that account as the cause of the confrontation.
Investigators were also working to establish the full sequence of events inside and outside the store. Police said the encounter began as a verbal dispute and turned violent after moving onto the sidewalk. Officers documented the scene after the attack and collected evidence as detectives continued examining what happened before the victim suffered fatal injuries.
The victim’s identity remained withheld pending notification of his family. Police had not publicly said whether he and McColley knew one another before Sunday night’s encounter. Authorities also had not released additional information explaining why the men began arguing.
The case brought a homicide investigation to the NYPD’s 10th Precinct, which covers Chelsea and surrounding areas. Police statistics cited by amNewYork showed the precinct had reported no homicides for the year through Oct. 4, making Sunday’s death the first reported killing there this year if the preliminary classification remains unchanged.
The investigation remained active Monday as detectives sought to establish the circumstances that led to the confrontation. McColley remained accused of murder and two counts of robbery, while police continued withholding the victim’s name until family notification was completed.
Author note: Last updated October 12, 2026.